Honorable Mention: “The Storm”. During I was taking photo with my nephew, the storm came and I caught this beautiful moment. Photo location: Kocaeli, Turkey. (Photo and caption by Aytül Akbaş/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Sometimes i feel like photographers have uncovered a special secret. A crazy, amazing, and beautiful secret. The key to truly living. All i want is to be alive”. – Karrah Kobus

Photo: “All my life i lived in a bubble”. (Photo by Karrah Kobus)

Hey Everybody! My name is Chris Ryniak (RYE-KNEE-ACK), and I make monsters. I split my time between sculpting and painting for gallery work, designing toys and being a Dad, but the thing I do the most is DRAW MONSTERS, like every day.

“Nature is beautiful and amazing – i just point my camera at it”. – Black Cat. Photo: “I really need a manicure”! (Photo by Black Cat)

Florence the baby zebra foal, runs in its enclosure at Edinburgh zoo September 4, 2008 in Edinburgh, Scotland. This arrival at the zoo is particularly important as the Grevy's zebra is listed as endangered, with only an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 remaining in the wild. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Racing driver J. Gaal at the wheel of car number 26 at the RAC Tourist Trophy, run, for the first time, over the Four Inch Course on the Isle of Man, 17th September 1908. Gaal is racing in waterproofs. (Photo by Topical Press Agency/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)